As a massive and loyal fan of
Paul and Joe beauty I could not say no to their new lipsticks collection. First impression? I absolutely love it!

First of all, I think it is an
excellent idea to make the cases and lipstick refills separately. It just makes the whole process of buying more personal, adjustable and makes you think the company really puts a thought
into what you as a demanding customer want from the brand. It is absolutely brilliant.

Second, why on earth no one ever thought of that earlier??.. Anyway let's move onto the review.

Paul and Joe Love Story Collection Full Pigment Lipstick and Cases

Paul and Joe Love Story
Collection consist of five different cases (all limited edition) and three
types of lipsticks: sheer, natural and full coverage. Plus extra six
anniversary shades to choose from: two sheer, two natural and two full colour
ones. As a massive fan of bold and intense colours I had to choose something
from their full coverage selection.

Monday, 1 October 2012

Featuring Betty Boop and Daria
Werbowy, this mascara offers the new versitale triangular shape of brush for
better lengthening and separating lashes and fixing them in a sensual curl. It
promises a new formula and new intense colour. Bla, bla. Yes, I never quite
believe in what the adverts has to say about mascaras because they all say the
same things, which half of them are not quite true in real life after all. I
picked Lancôme Hypnose Star Mascara only due to the fact that I owned Hypnose
Doll Eyes to be precise before and I really, really liked it. So I expected the
same things from this one, if not more.

The plastic black case is quite
elegant and curvy with Lancôme logo on the top part of the tube. On the bottom
of the tube you see little sparkly diamonds printed on the packaging. Very
pretty! But as the old saying says… don't judge a book by its cover, haha.

Lancôme Hypnôse Star Mascara in Noir Midnight

Lancôme Hypnose Star is easy to
apply; although it does have quite a big brush thanks to its shape it is easy
to apply to all lashes (even the little ones hidden in the corners of our eyes).
It coated all my lashes with one swipe, which is impressive considering I have
very thin and short lashes (one would say I have not even got any). For my
complete satisfaction I applied two coats. And because my eyelashes are the way
they are the mascara did lengthen and volumised them. The shade is a very deep
black I guess people with fair skin or light hair may find it more suitable for
a night-time look but I think it gives that extra dimension and wow factor to
the lashes.

Sunday, 23 September 2012

Hello my beauties! My second update on Clarins Gentle Foaming
Cleaneser and Toning Lotion both for Combination or Oily Skin is much more
positive than the last one. Remember, after 3 days of using both Clarins
Foaming Cleanser and Toner my skin was covered in blemishes. My skin was even
worse than before! I was hoping that it was just the first stage of getting rid
of all dirt from the surface of my skin and … I was right!

The skin is much more even, smoother and all the blemishes… have gone!
It just looks lovely. I love my new skin. It is not 100% free of any blemishes
or spots (there are blemishes caused by hormones etc) but my skin condition
just improved so much since I started using the two products! I can’t say that
the oiliness of my skin has gone nor it improved; my T-zone is very shiny
before lunchtime but it may be caused by foundation (?) or primer that is not
suitable (I use liquid foundations) although I used different foundations /
primers + powder over the 7 day period I haven’t noticed any difference so you
probably cannot control your skin oiliness with any product anyway. But I would
definitely recommend both Foaming Cleanser and Toning Lotion!

Sunday, 16 September 2012

I know, I know – purple again!
The collection is called Purple Roses but I promise you nothing about this
blusher is purple (something for a change, haha). This collection includes
Lancome L’Absolu Mat Cashmere (Matte lipglosses) in three shades, Lancome
L’Absolu Rouge BX (Matte lipsticks) in three shades, Lancome L’Absolu Nu Lip
Stick (Sheer lipsticks) in three shades, Lancome Le Regard Pro: Brow Expertise
kit, Lancome Hypnôse
Brow Shaper, Lancome Vernis in Love in three shades (I believe), Lancome Le
Vernis mattifying topcoat, Lancome Le Crayon Khôl eyeliner in Prune crepuscule and
finally, Lancome Blush Highlighter in Moonlight Rose (my favourite thing out of
the whole collection!). For some reason, this collection is also called
‘Midnight Roses’ (outside the UK).

This is why I LOVE Autumn/Winter Collections:
there is a lot of purple around! And as you “should” know by know, I adore practically
every shade of purple.

Lancome Purple Rose Collection Blush Highlighter in Moonlight Rose

The plastic case is very elegant
and sleek with Lancome logo in the right bottom corner. To open it you have to
push a little button just underneath the top lid. It might be slightly
difficult especially if you have long nails like I do. And the embossed
rose inside looks so gorgeous!...

Thursday, 13 September 2012

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleaneser and Toning Lotion both for Combination or Oily Skin

Hello girls (and boys)! My first update on Clarins Gentle Foaming
Cleaneser and Toning Lotion both for Combination or Oily Skin is not so positive
(I wish it was tho!) I know I know it’s only been three days and I should not
expect miracles but… my skin actually is being bombarded with blemishes and
unevenness. It is worse than it was before I started using both the cleanser
and the lotion. But you hear those great stories that when you start using a
new product (any cleansing product) that brings out all impurities and dirt
onto the surface of your skin first (and hence the blemishes) and then it
hopefully will enter the next stage, which is deeply cleaned, smooth and
blemishes-free skin. Hopefully the dirt will get picked up from the surface and
my new, perfect skin will emerge from underneath. ;)

I will post next update after 7 days and 4 weeks of continuous using, hopefully it will be more positive then! A.

Sunday, 9 September 2012

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser and Toning Lotion both for Combination or Oily Skin

After pretty much careless (when it comes to skin care) summer I
decided it is time to invest in a new, decent skin care regime. And it has to
be effective. After years of fighting with my oily and prone to blemishes skin
I finally want to find something worth investing my money in.

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser and Toning Lotion both for Combination or Oily Skin

I have never tried Clarins before so when I wanted to purchase
products from their range I did some research on the internet first, read some
reviews and made a decision I will give it a go. At that price point (£17.50
for each, but you can get them 15% cheaper at feelunique.com while they are
having a sale) I am expecting decent results.

Attention! This review may be
seriously biased by the fact that I absolutely LOVE purple (see post below)! I
try to be as honest and objective as possible but my feelings are sometimes
stronger (sorry!)!

Attention! This review may be
seriously biased by the fact that I absolutely LOVE purple (see post below)! I
try to be as honest and objective as possible but my feelings are sometimes
stronger (sorry!)!

This collection I simply
COULD-NOT-RESIST. This is the sort of makeup collection you go: ‘ahhh!...’ when
you look at it and behave like one of the aliens from Argos advert when they
wait for delivery! Literally! Haha (sorry if you are not in the UK and you do
not know what I am talking about ;)

May I start by saying how much
I love MAC mineral skinsfinish products. They look gorgeous on skin, they
usually last forever, the smell is addictive (for me anyway) and so on. The
only ‘downside’ is that they have no brush included with the product, which
would be ideal to make this product bag friendly...

May I start by saying how much
I love MAC mineral skinsfinish products. They look gorgeous on skin, they
usually last forever, the smell is addictive (for me anyway) and so on. The
only ‘downside’ is that they have no brush included with the product, which
would be ideal to make this product bag friendly. Anyway...

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Oh, I love free products
so much! Thank you InStyle for this gorgeous gift!

Bluebell is beautiful
pastel-ish blue with a tiny bit of purple undertones. Love it. I think it is
lovely! The packaging is fine; with silver top, which is big and rounded –
typical for nails inc products.

The nail polish is quite
easy to apply; the texture is very creamy although on the thick side. Two coats
is more than enough to achieve opaque finish. The brush is okay, it is not the
best one I used but it is not the worst one either.

The finish is shiny and
very smooth. It does not take ages to dry. It started chipping after 3 days,
but remember I do chip my nails quite easily so you might get better result,
especially with a top coat.

Nails Inc in Bluebell (without flash)

Nails Inc in Bluebell (with flash)

InStyle costs £3.80 and
Nails Inc in Bluebell was free with the June copy of the magazine. A.

Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Ingenuous Rose is a sheer
pastel dusty shade of pink. The packaging is quite cute, as it is small and
handy. And I love the golden top I think it makes it look more elegant.

Ingenuous Rose is easy to
apply, the texture is great and this shade is not streaky at all although it is
quite sheer but it is very buildable so you can achieve an opaque finish with
two or three coats depending on how much product you apply. The brush itself is
great. It’s wide, nicely rounded and it fits the nails just perfect (meaning
that you don’t have to put a lot of effort to apply to every corner of you
nails).

The finish is very shiny
and creamy although it took quite a while to dry completely (maybe because is
gel based?). The lasting power is about 3 days with a topcoat but bare in mind
I do chip my nails quite easily so some people might get better results.

Monday, 7 May 2012

First of all, I have to say say L’Oreal
Color Riche Nails have a beautiful colour range, there is so much to choose
from and all shades are very pleasing to the eye. Almost sophisticated I’d say.
I rested my eyes on Perle De Jade, Ingenuous Rose and Dating Coral (posts to
follow) and decided to go for it as the offer 3 for 2 (Boots) was still on.

Perle De Jade is a pastel
blue-ish shade of mint green. The packaging is quite cute, as it is small and
handy. And I love the golden top I think it makes it look more elegant.

Friday, 27 April 2012

Punch Drunk is one of seven
available shades of High Gloss Lip Color from Urban Decay. I must say I first
fell in love with the brand when I bought some of their eye shadows. And now I
love it even more for their beautiful Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors.

Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Punch Drunk

I chose Punch Drunk as I thought
it was a great colour for the summer and it especially would go well with a bit
of tan – what we all wish for during the summer months! I would describe it as
spicy orange – an orange shade with a hint of red. Punch Drunk is a very
bright, completely opaque and shiny lip color with a bit of shimmer in the
formula. It’s not as shiny as the title suggests (high gloss) but it’s
definitely on the shiner side (more like a shiny lipstick than a lipgloss). It’s
very soft and feels creamy when applying to the lips. It’s not as enjoyable as
new Revlon Lip Butters (look below – I totally fell for them) but it still
feels lovely. The colour pay off is absolutely great (same when it comes to
their eye shadows!) and it stays on for quite a while – about 4-6 hours.

I think the closest
high-street match I own is Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Lipstick in Orange
Punch except the fact that it’s slightly lighter and less red. It also isn’t
shimmery.READ MORE: